Means for defrosting refrigerators



May 26, 1953 A. G. SCHRAMM MEANS FOR DEFROSTING REFRIGERATORS Filed Oct. 14, 1949 Du O N E V N ANDREW G. SCHRAMM ATTORNEY Patented May 26, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates generallyto methods of and means for defrosting refrigerators and more specifically to an improved method of and means for defrosting domestic refrigerators, the predominant object of the invention being to provide an improved method and means in the use of which domestic refrigerators may be completely defrosted with facility and in very little time when compared with refrigerator defrosting methods heretofore employed in defrosting domestic refrigerators.

Prior to this invention various methods have been employed for defrosting domestic refrigerators but all of such methods with which I am familiar were subject to the objection that the time required for complete defrosting of a refrigerator was too great. In other words. the most commonly used method was to merely discontinue operation of the refrigerator and let it stand inoperative until the frost had melted away, but, obviously, such method required a very considerable period of time and it frequently had to be supplemented by application to certain parts of the freezing unit of hot water so as to complete the defrosting operation without keeping the refrigerator out of operation for too long a period. Also, refrigerators were heretofore defrosted by means of electrical heatin devices which were built into the refrigerators or were plugged into an electrical outlet exteriorly of the refrigerators and were introduced into the refrigerators through the door openings thereof. These electrical methods were objectionable because of the considerable time required to complete the defrosting operation and because of the expense incident to operating the electrical devices.

The present invention provides a method and a means for defrosting domestic refrigerators in the use of which a refrigerator may be very quickly and most completely defrosted whereby the objections to methods heretofore employed, as set forth above, are completely eliminated.

Fig. 1 is a bracketed view illustrating in perspective the defrosting element of this invention and the tool for handling said defrosting element.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the defrosting element shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation on a slightly reduced scale of a modified form of the defrosting lement of the invention.

In the drawing, wherein are shown for purposes of illustration, merely, two embodiments of the defrosting element of the invention, A designates in Figs. 1 and 2 the defrosting element generally, and in Fig. 1 B designates the tool for handling said defrosting element. The defrosting element is made from material which is characterized by the ability to receive heat quickly and retain such heat for a relatively long period of time, one such material which has been found to be so characterized and hence well adapted for the requirements of this invention being aluminum. The defrosting element A is provided with top, bottom, and side walls, the surfaces of which are fluted, the channe'lways I of said fluted surfaces being extended longitudinally of the defrosting element, as is shown clearly in Fig. 1, and said channelways serving a purpose to be hereinafter set forth. The defrosting element A has formed therethrough an opening 2 which is shaped as is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, said opening being extended longitudinally of the defrosting element from one to the opposite end wall thereof at which end walls the opening 2 is open.

The tool B comprises a blade 3 having a heatinsulating handle #5 attached thereto at an end of said blade, said blade having roughened opposite faces resembling the filing surfaces of a file. Also, the blade 3 of the tool B is provided with a pair of lateral extensions 5 which serve as abutments in a manner and for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

In defrosting a refrigerator in accordance with this invention the defrosting element A is arranged on a stove, or other heating means, and is heated until the temperature thereof reaches about 600 R, such temperature being determined by timing the heating operation in accordance with supplied structures. When the defrosting element has reached the desired temperature said defrosting element is picked up with the aid of the tool B, the blade 3 of said tool being passed into the opening 2 of the defrosting element until the abutments 5 contact with an end face of said defrosting element. The heated defrosting element is carried to the refrigerator with the aid of the tool B and said defrosting element is placed on a lower shelf of the cooling unit of the refrigerator which normally supports an ice cube tray, the tool then being withdrawn from said defrosting element. When the defrosting element A is in place on a shelf of the cooling unit of the refrigerator, as described above, the considerable temperature difference between the heated defrosting element and the frosted cooling unit of the refrigerator (600 F. to 32 F.) will result in the heat from the defrosting element traveling quickly through the metal portions of the cooling unit so as to melt the frost where it contacts with such metal portions. In this connection it is pointed out that it is not necessary to convert all of the frost to water as said frost usually melts quickly and drops away from the metal portions of the cooling unit, and if the frost does not drop away from the metal portions of the cooling unit it may be conveniently brushed away from said metal portions because of its softened condition.

Because of the rou hened or file-like surfaces of the blade 3 of the tool B, the defrosting element A will not slide off of said blade when said defrosting element is being carried with the aid of the tool even though the tool is inclined downwardly to a considerable degree, this being so because of the fact that one of said roughened surfaces bites into the material of the defrosting element and holds the defrosting element in engagement with the blade of the tool. Also, because of the presence of the abutments of the tool B the heated defrosting element A is prevented from sliding rearwardly relative to the blade of the tool, in the event the tool is inclined downwardly and rearwardly, into contact with the hand which grips the handle of the tool, the abutments arresting rearward movement of the defrosting element with respect to the blade of the tool.

In Fig. 3 is illustrated a modified form of the defrosting element of the present invention, the defrosting element of Fig. 3 differing from the defrosting element of Figs. 1 and 2 only with re spect to the opening formed therethrough that receives the blade of the carrying tool B. The opening 6 of the defrosting element A of Fig. 3 is of inverted T-shaped formation with the vertical portion 6a of said opening open at the top surface of the defrosting element and the horizontal portion 6b of said opening 6 located within the material of the defrosting element slightly below the top surface thereof. The defrosting element A is provided with fluted outer surfaces to provide channelways I, just as is the defrosting element A, these channelways in the case of each of the defrosting elements being provided to permit escape of steam which may be generated within the cooling unit of a, refrigerator during a defrosting operation.

I claim:

1. Means for defrosting a refrigerator comprising a defrosting element, said defrosting element being adapted to be heated to a high temperature exteriorly of the refrigerator to be defrosted and being provided with an opening formed therein, and a tool for handling said defrosting element when heated, said tool comprising a blade adapted for introduction into the opening of the defrosting element, a heat-insulating handle at an end of said blade, said blade of said tool having a roughened surface which increases the gripping action between said tool blade and said defrosting element, and an abutment formed on said blade and located adjacent to the inner end of said handle.

2. Means for defrosting a refrigerator comprising a defrosting element having fluted surface portions the channelways of which extend longitudinally of said defrosting element, said defrost ing element being adapted to be heated to a high temperature exteriorly of the refrigerator to be defrosted and being provided with an opening formed therein and extended from end to end thereof, and a tool for handling said defrosting element when heated, said tool comprising a blade adapted for introduction into the opening of the defrosting element, and a heat-insulating handle at an end of said blade.

ANDREW G. SCHRAMM.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 136,582 Bush Mar. 11, 1873 662,541 Miskolczy Nov. 27, 1900 1,119,827 Jacobson Dec. 8, 1914 2,300,085 Yunker Oct. 27, 1942 2,423,792 Ovenshire Dec. 16, 1947 2,494,306 Morvey Jan. 10, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 2,848 Switzerland Nov. 6, 189Q 226,416 Great Britain Dec. 24, 1924 873,735 France Apr. 7, 1942 

